Rumblings

Rumblings

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.  Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)

Can two walk together except they agree on the direction? Amos 3:3 (NLT)

Picture this; you’re on a cross-country road trip and the drive gets lonely. You decide to pick up a hitchhiker for company. In addition to the free ride, you buy them meals and cater to their requests (where to sit in the car, what music to listen to, when to turn the music off). Expectedly, they’re profuse with warmth and gratitude during the initial leg of the journey. However, as they get comfortable you notice a gradual shift in their demeanour. They become distant; your attempts to spark things up again are met with a cold wall of indifference. What started out as an interaction with lots of potential has morphed into a marriage of convenience. Sounds far-fetched? You’ll be surprised at how frequently this occurs.

Apparently, contentment lies midway along the gratitude-entitlement spectrum; thus, we have two halves made up of 2 loops. Let’s call them productive and comfort zones respectively, shall we?

Our minds are most productive when our hearts are filled with gratitude; motivation's high, and we’re driven to take on new challenges. So, we plough at life head-on powered by the memories of recent positive outcomes. However, with the contentment that comes from a string of successive victories, the comfort zone and its attendant dangers beckon. Examples abound throughout scripture: the Israelites’ shenanigans after leaving Egypt, David falling into sin when he stayed away from battle and more Israelite drama with repetitive cycles characterised by complacency, idolatry and repentance throughout the old testament.

Is it wrong to be content with our stations in life then? Definitely not. Paul says, “... true godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim 6:6 – NKJV) while dissuading Timothy from the dangers of falling into Mammon’s allure.  Is it dangerous to be content? Potentially. When we fail to close the gratitude-contentment loop, we run the risk of veering off the divine path and end up feeling entitled rather than grateful.

It’s probably best to stay hungry so we have reasons to be grateful (victories). After all, David reminds us that "Blessed is the man that doesn't walk ....., stand ....or sit where he shouldn't" (Psalm 1:1) That said, when things don’t go as expected and we hear the faint rumblings of entitlement echo within our hearts, then it's time to bring out our trusty old compass and find our way back to His will through gratitude.

“In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you“ 1 Thessalonians 5:18